extreme deck features cascading waterfall

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First the Waterfall

This extreme deck is a vision to behold for water lovers. It showcases a waterfall. "The homeowners actually wanted a fish pond," says Hamilton Brock, of Graham Vannoy Construction Company in Rising Fawn, Ga. "But they also wanted the unique feature of having a waterfall on top of the deck cascading over to the other side." The waterfall had to be constructed before starting on the deck. It was braced with cinder blocks and the veneer consisted of mountain stone, and the deck was actually built into the waterfall, which gives it a natural look.

Papier-Mache and Water

The actual waterfall itself looks like stone, but it's really — believe it or not — like papier-mache where the workers bent and re-barred steel, put chicken wire over the top of it and coated it with a layer of cement. The last process was to paint it, using some natural colors to make it look like stone. Once the water is added, along with some plants, the effect is an extremely natural looking waterfall. The pump for the water is hidden underneath, which is another great feature.

waterfall like stone but is really wire and cement

Photo by: Lucie Rowe

Lucie Rowe

Brazilian Ipe Railing

The railing is made of Brazilian ipe hardwood. The rail cap has a curve effect that was achieved by having it routed down at a mill shop.

railing made of Brazilian Epae hardwood

Photo by: Lucie Rowe

Lucie Rowe

Trim the Stairs

A unusual touch for the ends of the steps on the stairs was the use of trim board, which hide the ends of the last stringers. A 1x6 piece of wood was used, and with a jigsaw the workers cut to the shape of the end of the steps.